The subject matter described herein relates generally to systems and methods for monitoring a structural health of a wind turbine system, and more particularly, to a structural health monitoring system configured to monitor a structural health of a structural component of the wind turbine.
At least some known wind turbines include a nacelle fixed atop a tower. The nacelle includes a rotor assembly coupled to a generator through a shaft. In known rotor assemblies, a plurality of blades extend from a rotor. The blades are oriented such that wind passing over the blades turns the rotor and rotates the shaft, thereby driving the generator to generate electricity. Known wind turbines are generally subjected to operational detriments from environmental elements, such as wind shear, extreme temperatures, icing, oceanic waves, as well as internal friction, and general mechanical wear. Operational detriments may eventually cause suboptimal performance of the wind turbine.
At least some known methods of monitoring wind turbines detect operational detriments indirectly by detecting symptoms, such as a decreased power output and/or inoperability, or a decreased wind turbine operating performance. Moreover, because many potential causes exist for such symptoms, determining the root cause of a symptom requires manual inspection by a service technician, introducing undesirable delay and expense before the root cause can be addressed.
At least some known wind turbines include a generator frame including a main frame or a “bedplate” and a generator support frame or a “rear frame” portion that is cantilevered from the bedplate. Known generator frames may be subjected to stresses that cause fatigue cracking and/or failure, particularly at the joint between the bedplate and the rear frame portion. Conventional methods for monitoring some known generator frames include manual inspection, which may be infrequent, expensive, and time consuming.